If you have a hellebore blooming now, or sometime over the winter, chances are it is Helleborus niger, commonly called the Christmas Rose because it usually blooms in the wintertime. Though honestly, I don't think you'll find a Christmas Rose that is the straight species. Most on the market today are hybrids of some kind and have white or soft pink flowers. My Christmas Rose started blooming a few weeks ago, and due to the sturdy nature of the blooms, those flowers will hang around all … [Read more...] about Christmas Roses and Lenten Roses
perennials
The Prize for the Longest-Blooming Perennial Goes To…
The prize for the longest-blooming perennial in my garden goes to... Wait. Is it fair to award prizes for longest-blooming when some plants just weren't made to bloom over a long period of time, but instead were made to toss out their petals in one big, over the top show? Shouldn't they get a prize? Like peonies. Or what about flowers that kinda bloom for a long period of time but it's mostly in the wintertime when nothing else is blooming? But honestly most of those blooms are … [Read more...] about The Prize for the Longest-Blooming Perennial Goes To…
Michaelmas Daisies
What hides in the garden all summer and then reveals itself in the fall? Michaelmas daisies! You may know them as asters, or Asters. Or by their new botanical genus name Symphyotrichum, which for good reason no one actually uses. They are often called Michaelmas daisies because they are usually blooming on the feast day of St. Michael the Archangel, September 29th. There are other things celebrated on this day besides St. Michael. After a quick search, I discovered it is also … [Read more...] about Michaelmas Daisies
Hardy Begonia
Surprise! This begonia is hardy enough to be just another shade perennial in my garden. "Just another shade perennial" is how I casually refer to it when people are surprised to see it growing and flowering in the ground. It doesn't have the leaf patterns and varigations of some begonias. Nor does it have big flowers... I've only seen it with pink flowers. It's also not one of the first perennials to break ground in the spring. Why should it be in a hurry in spring? It's not … [Read more...] about Hardy Begonia
Can’t Say This About All Flowers
I spotted these pretty pink Japanese anemones at Newfields. Many gardeners shudder when they see these flowers because they are a "good naturalizer." Code word for they can spread a bit in a garden if it is to their liking. In other words, sometimes they don't stay in their place, which, depending on how you like your garden, is a bad thing, or it could be a good thing. One of their common names is thimbleweed. Is it ever a good thing to plant something in your garden with a common … [Read more...] about Can’t Say This About All Flowers
The Calendar Says…The Garden Says…
The calendar says... Oops, both of the wall calendars in my house said it was still July. Who forgot to flip them over to August? Oops, I'm the one who forgot, but I flipped them to August yesterday so for the last 10 days of this month, it's really, truly, and finally August. We're feeling it too, with what I consider to be our first real heat wave of the summer. Sure, we've had a hot day or two here and there but not a whole week's worth like we are supposed to get this … [Read more...] about The Calendar Says…The Garden Says…
